There were 40 higher education institutions which received operating grants from DEST in 2002, as well as the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Avondale College, The National Institute of Dramatic Art and the Australian Defence Force Academy. The private Melbourne College of Divinity reported data for postgraduate students only, while Bond University in Queensland reported data for research students only.

Apart from the Australian National University and the Australian Maritime College, which are established under Commonwealth legislation, Australian universities operate under state or territory legislation. However, they are autonomous bodies responsible for their own governance and make their own decisions on allocation of funding, staffing and academic courses.

Most higher education institutions provide both full-time and part-time courses and external or distance education courses. In addition, some institutions offer courses which associate full-time study with periods of employment.

Students and courses

Prior to 2001, institutions providing data supplied only one student enrolment file per year based on a 31 March census date. This meant enrolment numbers were a count of unique (individual students only appeared once) student enrolments as at 31 March.

In 2001, institutions started providing a second student enrolment file based on a 31 August census date. This means enrolment numbers now provide a count of students (one entry only per student) who were enrolled anytime within a 12-month period, that being 1 September to 31 August, and cover all enrolments at higher education institutions over that period.

Where time series data are shown, as in table 10.25, two figures are provided for 2001, one figure based on the ‘old’ scope and one figure based on the ‘new’ scope.

Table 10.23 shows the numbers of higher education students and their mode of participation at higher education institutions. The number of such students in 2002 was 896,621, a rise of more than 54,400 (or 6.5%) since 2001. This growth was almost entirely among those in face-to-face (internal) tuition. The proportion of students who were female was 54%, the same as for 2001. In 2002 full-time study was the choice of 64% of higher education students.

10.23 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS(a), By mode(b) and type of enrolment

2001

2002

Males

Females

Persons

Males

Females

Persons

Internal

Full-time

224,529

262,785

487,314

242,537

282,695

525,232

Part-time

86,486

99,547

186,033

92,685

106,997

199,682

Total

311,015

362,332

673,347

335,222

389,692

724,914

External

Full-time

9,239

12,421

21,660

10,833

13,608

24,441

Part-time

52,081

62,610

114,691

50,970

63,817

114,787

Total

61,320

75,031

136,351

61,803

77,425

139,228

Multi-modal

Full-time

8,827

15,370

24,197

8,938

15,969

24,907

Part-time

2,969

5,319

8,288

2,670

4,902

7,572

Total

11,796

20,689

32,485

11,608

20,871

32,479

Total

Full-time

242,595

290,576

533,171

262 308

312,272

574,580

Part-time

141,536

167,476

309,012

146,325

175,716

322,041

Total

384,131

458,052

842,183

408,633

487,988

896,621

(a) The scope of the data in this table is students enrolled at anytime within the 12-month period 1 September to 31 August. Previously, published data referred to students enrolled at 31 March of the stated year.(b) This relates to the delivery of education to the student. 'Internal' is where the delivery of education is done entirely within the institution, 'external' refers to delivery of course material to students off-campus, and 'multi-modal' is where at least one, but not all units, are provided at the institution.

The basic undergraduate course at most institutions is a Bachelor degree of three or four years duration. At some institutions, courses may also be offered at the Diploma or Advanced diploma level. Most institutions also offer postgraduate level study. One to two years of full-time postgraduate study are required for a Master's degree and three to five years for a Doctoral degree. Postgraduate diplomas and certificates are offered in some disciplines. In 2002, 70% of higher education students were enrolled in bachelor courses, with a further 25% enrolled in higher degree and other postgraduate courses (table 10.24).

Higher education institutions offer a wide variety of courses embracing such areas as Natural and physical sciences, Information technology, Engineering and related technologies, Architecture and building, Agriculture, environment and related studies, Heath, Education, Management and commerce, Society and culture, Creative arts and Food, hospitality and personal services. Fields of education with the largest numbers of award course students in 2002 were Management and commerce (28%); Society and culture (22%); Health (11%); and Education (10%).

10.24 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS, By level of education(a) - 2002

Level of education of study

Postgraduate
degree

Graduate diploma/
Graduate certificate

Bachelor
degree

Advanced diploma/
Diploma

Other
education

Total
courses

Field of education(b)

'000

'000

'000

'000

'000

'000

Natural and physical sciences

9.3

1.6

56.5

0.2

0.6

68.2

Information technology

14.0

7.5

57.3

0.2

0.2

79.1

Engineering and related technologies

9.3

2.2

48.2

0.3

1.2

61.3

Architecture and building

2.0

1.1

14.6

0.1

-

17.8

Agriculture, environment and related studies

3.3

1.0

11.9

1.7

0.6

18.5

Health

13.5

9.6

73.0

0.6

0.7

97.3

Education

14.6

12.9

59.6

0.6

1.7

89.4

Management and commerce

59.0

20.0

160.3

0.6

1.3

241.2

Society and culture

27.4

10.8

148.2

6.0

4.0

196.4

Creative arts

5.2

2.3

45.6

0.3

1.2

54.7

Food, hospitality and personal services

-

-

0.1

-

-

0.2

Mixed field programmes

-

-

-

-

1.9

1.9

Non-award

-

-

-

-

22.3

22.3

Total

157.7

68.9

623.8

10.7

35.5

896.6

(a) Level of education of study.(b) Combined courses are coded to two fields of education. As a consequence, the data in the total may be less than the sum of the data aggregated down each level of education.

Table 10.25 shows the number of higher education students by age group and sex. Between 2001 and 2002 the growth in higher education student numbers (6.5%) has been strongest among 20-24 year olds (9.1%) and 25-29 year olds (6.7%).

10.25 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS(a), By age group

2000(b)

2001(b)

2001(c)

2002(c)

Age group (years)

'000

'000

'000

'000

19 and under

Males

78.9

81.2

86.4

88.8

Females

110.4

113.4

120.0

123.3

Persons

189.3

194.5

206.4

212.1

20-24

Males

107.1

113.0

129.7

141.2

Females

126.2

132.7

150.3

164.3

Persons

233.3

245.7

280.0

305.5

25-29

Males

45.2

47.6

59.7

63.7

Females

49.0

51.2

63.1

67.3

Persons

94.1

98.7

122.8

131.0

30 and over

Males

80.2

84.8

108.3

115.0

Females

98.6

102.7

124.6

133.0

Persons

178.8

187.4

232.9

248.0

Total

Males

311.4

326.6

384.1

408.6

Females

384.1

399.8

458.1

488.0

Persons

695.5

726.4

842.2

896.6

(a) Includes students in enabling and non-award courses.(b) Students enrolled at 31 March.(c) In 2001 the scope used to define the data in this table changed to include students enrolled at anytime within the 12-month period 1 September to 31 August. Previously, published data referred to students enrolled at 31 March of the stated year. Both old scope and new scope series are presented here for 2001.

The average annual starting salary of male bachelor degree graduates has risen by 32% between 1992 and 2002, to $42,366. For females the rise was 33% to $37,784 (table 10.26).

These starting salaries, as a percentage of average annual full-time adult ordinary time earnings, have declined in the years 1992-2002. For males they dropped from 98.9% to 88.1%. For females the respective percentages dropped from 105.0% to 92.8%.

The male postgraduate average annual starting salary rose by 50% between 1992 and 2002, to $67,165. For females the rise was 44% to $52,747. Male postgraduate starting salaries, as a percentage of average annual full-time adult ordinary time earnings, show rises between 1992 and 2002 increasing from 138.2% to 139.6%. For females they declined from 135.6% to 129.5%.

Female starting salaries for bachelor degree graduates were 89.1% of the equivalent male starting salaries in 2002. The ratio for female to male postgraduate starting salaries was 78.5% in 2002.

10.26 STARTING SALARIES FOR EMPLOYED HIGHER EDUCATION GRADUATES

Bachelor graduates(a)

Postgraduates(a)

Average annual full-time adult ordinary time earnings(b)

Males

Females

Males

Females

Males

Females

$

$

$

$

$

$

1992

32,127

28,429

44,852

36,718

32,462

27,079

1997

36,467

32,139

54,335

42,831

38,870

32,448

2002

42,366

37,784

67,165

52,747

48,099

40,733

(a) Self-employed graduates are included in 1992 and 1997 but excluded in 2002.(b) Of employees.

Table 10.27 shows that in 2002 there were almost equal proportions of male and female staff in higher education. This has changed somewhat over the last decade - in 1992, 53% of all higher education staff were male.

Higher education staff may be classified as academic or non-academic. In 2002, as in previous years, there were more non-academic than academic staff. The largest numbers of academics were at the lecturer and senior lecturer levels.

While there were more male than female academics in 2002, the proportions were closer than they had been a decade earlier. In 2002, 62% of academics were male, compared to 68% in 1992. Men outnumbered women at all levels of academic staff except 'below lecturer'. Between 1992 and 2002, the proportion who were women increased for all levels of academic staff, most notably for senior lecturers.